Education and freedom

The Academies Bill has recently gone through Parliament. It allows state schools to break free from local authority control with greater authority over the curriculum and teacher pay and the removal of educational bureaucracy and associated costs.

The evidence is that academies (brought in by Labour) raise standards, including when the social background of those attending is taken into account.

The bill allows for maintained state schools classed as outstanding by Ofsted to be fast-tracked to academy status. The bill allows new free schools to be created by parents, charities, churches and others and for them to enjoy academy freedoms.

Primary and special schools are included. None will be allowed to make a profit and each will provide free education with funding following the pupil. The better a school is the more pupils and funding it will attract.

This model has been successful in countries like the US (where President Obama has championed charter schools) and Sweden, and sees increased parental choice improve standards.

This approach has its detractors. Some say these new schools will cream off the best pupils and leave sink schools struggling in their wake. But the evidence is the opposite. Where free schools take root, attainment typically improves across all local schools and new academies will be expected to partner weaker schools.

Another factor is the pupil premium which will be available for children from less advantaged backgrounds with schools having a clear incentive to offer them places.

The Academies Bill is permissive in that it is up to schools to decide whether they wish to opt in or not. I hope that many do and that over the years thousands of young people will look back on this bill as one that gave them a very great deal.